Schools

Back to School Basics: Backpacks Can Be a Weighty Issue

A new backpack doesn't just have to look good — parents need to consider weight and comfort on their child's back when picking the right one.

By Kathleen F. Miller

Back-to-school shopping lists always have one item in common: a new backpack. 

And if you have a middle- or high-school student, chances are he or she is going to carry a ton of heavy books and folders in it. 

Also, some schools offer no lockers, so your child may be dragging around a Sherpa-sized pack all day, potentially causing pain and damage to his or her growing spine. 

Pain You Can Prevent

Dr. Stefanie Haugen is a parent of two who trained at Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, Mo., and has been in practice as a chiropractor for more than a decade. Carrying a heavy backpack improperly over time can definitely result in long-term challenges to a child’s spine, said Haugen, including “strained muscles and joints, headaches, forward head posture and serious back pain, just to name a few."

Haugen said the most common symptoms reported from backpack use is “rucksack palsy."

"This condition results when pressure put on the nerves in the shoulder causes numbness in the hands, muscle waiting and in extreme cases, nerve damage," she said. "While there are many causes of back pain, backpack-caused pain is a serious, yet preventable cause."

The Right Way To Wear A Backpack

Many students do not carry their backpacks properly, said Haugen.

“Do not sling it over one shoulder and don’t let it ride low on the back,” she said. 

Avoid letting your student use too big of a backpack, she said. The bottom of the backpack should align with the curve of the lower back, and should not be more than four inches below the waistline.

Haugen said parents should encourage children to not “carry a locker's worth of books home and back to school everyday — have them only carry what is needed for the day.” Also, she advised placing the heavier books closest to the back, in the closest compartment to the back for the best distribution of weight.

Keeping children free of injury starts with getting the proper size of backpack with wide shoulder straps, she said. 

“Shoulder straps should be cinched up with the backpack snug against their back, now hung low over their low back, pulling back on the spine. A backpack’s shoulder-strap anchor points should rest one to two inches below the top of the shoulders,” she said.

Haugen recommends several packs designed or endorsed by chiropractic doctors. Air Pack brand backpacks, which her own children use, are specifically designed to distribute weight better. 

Air Packs are available from Amazon.com and at some chiropractic offices. Other recommended brands include DC packs, Targus RakGear backpacks and North Face.

“Their backpack shouldn’t exceed 10 to 15 percent of their body weight. An 80-pound kid shouldn’t be lugging around a 12-pound backpack on a regular basis,” Haugen said. It is OK for kids to haul heavier packs occasionally, like on family hikes or a camping trip, she said.

Children should pick up heavy objects like backpacks and instruments by bending down and using their legs to lift the weight, not by bending over and pulling up. Haugen said parents should avoid having a child twist around, such as when exiting the car, to try and pick up a heavy backpack or instrument case and haul it up and over a seat back. 

Maintaining proper posture is important for kids and teens. This generation often has “video game posture” — shrugged shoulders and rounded backs — as they hunch over laptops and video game equipment, Haugen said.

Act Early To Treat Pain

Parents should listen carefully and respond immediately when a child complains of pain associated with carrying their backpack, instruments and sports equipment.

“If they complain of neck or back pain, take them to see your family chiropractor, a physical therapist, or your family doctor or other posture specialist,” Haugen said.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared as a blog post on Los Gatos Patch in California.


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